Headaches and migraines are two of the most common ailments in the world, with up to 80% of the population having at least one headache per year. They can widely vary in their type and intensity, meaning that some may rarely suffer at all, however there are individuals who suffer so much that it begins to take a toll on their everyday life, even causing them to take time off work or cancel their social plans. There are various types of headaches that all have different causes. These include migraines, tension, cluster, cervicogenic, sinus headaches and many more. As osteopaths, the two most common types that we treat are tension and cervicogenic, however osteopathic treatment can help to relieve many variations of headache.At City Osteopaths, we are specially trained to assess and determine the cause of your headaches. We conduct a thorough case history, in order to ascertain how often they occur, when they occur, where they occur and whether there are any specific triggers to your headaches. We can rule out certain headaches that may need further medical investigation from your GP and we will conduct a postural assessment to decipher the cause of your headaches. ​​What causes tension or cervicogenic headaches?

Tension or tight muscles in the neck, back, jaw and eyes are common causes of tension headaches.

Nerves that are irritated or inflamed in the neck can lead to pain symptoms in the form of a headache.

Dysfunction or stiffness in the upper three cervical (neck) vertebrae are another common cause.​

Osteopaths use specific and gentle techniques to loosen the muscles and joints in the neck and back which can help to relieve the symptoms of headaches. We can also provide you with exercises that you can do at home to help to stretch specific muscles and improve posture. A combination of manual therapy and home exercises has been found to be highly effective in treating cervicogenic and tension headaches. Every individual will manage their symptoms in different ways, often through a system of trial and error.

Here are some common ways to help you with the management of headaches and migraines.

Staying hydrated – dehydration is a common cause of headaches. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water daily. Avoiding caffeine has also been known to prevent headaches.

Staying relaxed – life can get busy, or even chaotic at times. It’s important to take time out to clear your mind. Meditation, mindful breathing, yoga and even so much as a brisk walk, can all help to counteract the symptoms of headaches and help you unwind.

Sleep plenty – The National Sleep Foundation recommends that we get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. To improve sleeping patterns, it’s important to unwind at night time.

Work station set up – many of us spend a lot of time working at our desks, therefore it’s important that our posture is correct when we do so. Getting an ergonomic assessment of your work station can help to check that your chair, desk and computer are at the correct height and position for you. This will prevent you working in a difficult posture that tightens muscles and potentially causes headaches. ​

Avoiding bright lights – many people find that bright or flickering lights can be a trigger for their headaches. Reducing screen time when possible (particularly before bed) can help.

Exercise and get fresh air – a combination of exercise and fresh air can work wonders for our health.

If you suffer from headaches you are more than welcome to get in touch and see how osteopathy can benefit you. ​

Lewis JennerM.Ost., FAFS, Reg Osteopath MONZ ​​Lewis graduated from the British School of Osteopathy, the biggest and oldest osteopathic school in Europe. Before training to be an osteopath, he had a successful career in engineering. Lewis is the only osteopath in New Zealand to have completed the prestigious GIFT program, at the Gray Institute (USA), working with some of the world's leading experts in rehabilitation. He is also a certified Nike Golf Performance Specialstandworks with golfers to prevent and rehabilitate injuries and also improve their power, strength, flexibility and balance. By combining osteopathy with principles from the GIFT program, Lewis can perform functional movement based assessments and treatments, which can be tailored to the patients relevant sport or activity. Lewis has a particular interest in treating injuries relating to running, golf and racquet sports, although his approach is effective for anybody that moves.Lewis’ philosophy is about helping patients get better, quicker, so that they can overcome pain, feel like themselves again and get back to doing what they love to do. He also educates patients in how to self-manage their complaints using personalised exercise prescription and ergonomic adviceLewis moved to Wellington from the UK, with his Kiwi wife and their two young boys

The Real Deal Hurt Cream is a wonderful adjunct to the work we do as hands on primary healthcare practitioners at City Osteopaths healthcare.

Perfect to Support Healing. Pleasant & Safe to Use for All the Family

For any kind of injury, pain or swelling, to aid recovery from neck and back stiffness; sports injuries, post-surgery during pregnancy for leg, foot and back discomfort; for children's bumps and bruises and other conditions like arthritis, eczema, psoriasis and sunburn.

An added bonus we discovered is that gently massaged on the back on the muscles lying beside the spine between the shoulder blades it will help ease or completely stop a night time cough. Very useful for children or adults so everyone can get a good night sleep.

Real Deal Hurt Crème has a pleasant scent, and when applied, you will experience a general warming of the tissues without the strong burning sensation common to some other products. Therefore, the Crème should be compatible with all skin types and sensitivities. It absorbs totally leaving the skin oil free.

In our practice we sell it slightly below recommended retail (21.90) at $19.90 so its a little more accessible for people and it is an extremely popular product.

To manage well in todays busy world, we most likely all need to do something to help us feel centred, happy and calm.

Here is City Osteopaths recommended five minute mindful breathing exercise:

1.) Find a comfortable and stable posture either sitting or lying on your back. Allow your back to be straight but not rigid. Let your arms and hands rest in a relaxed position. If you like you can put one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.

Pause here and after each subsequent step.

2.) Close your eyes, if it feels comfortable. If not, soften your gaze.

3.) Bring your attention to the present moment by noticing how you’re feeling physically. Scan your body from head to toe and consciously let any tension slip away. Take a moment to notice your environment – any sounds you might hear in the background, what the temperature feels like in the room, the air on your skin.

4.) After that, bring your attention to your breathing from three vantage points:–First, notice the sensation of your breath going in/out of your nostrils or mouth.–Second, as you breath, pay attention to the rise/fall of your chest.–Third, notice the rise/fall of your belly as you breath.

5.) Pick the vantage point that seems to be the easiest for you to focus on. Follow the breath for its full duration, from the start to finish. Notice that the breath happens on its own, without any conscious effort. Some breaths may be slow, some fast, some shallow or deep. You don’t need to control the breath, you just need to notice it.

6.) If you find it helpful, you can say “1″ to yourself on each in- breath and “2″ on each out-breath.

7.) Each time your mind wanders away from the breath (and this will happen many times!), notice where it goes and then gently bring your attention back to the feeling of the breath going in and out.

When the mind wanders, you can make a mental note of it. For example, if you drift away from your breath to thinking about the future, you can say to yourself “calm, calm". If your mind is pulled to a sensation of discomfort in your body, you can say to yourself “ease, ease". Or, if you notice you’re focused on something worrisome from the past, you can say "let it go". and then gently bring your attention back to the present moment – noticing the breath.

8.) Your mind may wander hundreds of times or more during these 5 minutes – that’s ok and quite natural! Your “job” is to catch yourself when you’ve wandered and to gently bring your focus back to the breath every time, without judging yourself for how “well” or “poorly” you’re doing the exercise.

9.) Try to practice this exercise for 5 minutes (or longer if you’d like) every day, for at least one week. Notice how it feels to spend some time each day just being with your breath.

Practicing mindful breathing is like strengthening your muscle of living in the present; as you practice more, you’ll find it easier to remain in the here and now, rather than being caught up in the past or in some fantasy about the future.

Living in the “now” tends to feel more peaceful and clear, even when external circumstances are difficult. Mindfulness practice is not a prescription for tuning out the world; rather, it’s about tuning in with open and compassionate awareness. Relating to life from this vantage point not only feels better, but often results in more skillful living.

I am preparing an audio version of this mindful breathing meditation which will hopefully be ready shortly.

This picture is of Man Kaur, from India. In April she won the 100m at the World Masters Games in Auckland, 101 years young. The purpose of this article is to educate, promote quality therapy, but most importantly to inspire activity and quality movement.

EducateThere is one aspect of life that all of us will go through which is ageing. Whether we like it or not we will all physically deteriorate with age. But what can we do about it? Sit back and accept fate with declining health, or be proactive in maintaining the strength and mobility we have…'I've got creaky knees, my back is a bit stiff, reaching down to put my shoes on is so hard … it must be old age'. As a practitioner, I've heard them all. It's the age old excuse. Some of these complaints are justified, but many of the clients I have come across in both the gym and massage therapy setting will reluctantly admit they just haven't prioritised being active enough. The old adage 'use it or lose it', remains very true. Strength and joint mobility will decrease with age, they will also deteriorate through lack of use. Moving joints can help to increase synovial fluid to the joint capsule and this will keep the joint moving smoothly. Movement will also help the surrounding soft tissues remain both strong and flexible. This is why we need to feel the urge to stretch when we get out of bed, or standing up from prolonged sitting. The soft tissues in our body adapt to a particular position, the stretching is our body trying to prepare these soft tissues for movement.

Staying mobile and strong is important for more than just being able to tie your shoes and get up the stairs. Being active is linked with decrease chances of mortality. The study by Brito et. al. (2012) assessed 2002 adults aged 51-80 on their ability to move from standing to sitting on the floor and back up to standing again. The people who could stand and sit with ease lived longer. The test can be found here http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2047487312471759This test is not 100% accurate in telling you when you will die. There are many factors involved in how long you shall live. But the theme of being stronger and more mobile leading to living longer is what I and the authors are trying to emphasise. If you can move better, you are more independent, you are also more likely to exercise. This can help decrease cardiac risk factors, as well as help maintain a healthy weight, which will further reduce many mortality factors. There are other factors that will limit your performance in a sit to stand test such as lower limb joint replacement, arthritis, neurological disease, other joint surgeries may also limit your joint range making sitting on the floor difficult. So don't panic if you have co-morbidities that will cause you to score poorly in a test like this.

Promote quality therapy“I'm stiff, sore and don't move with ease, what should I do about it?”. For many people the answer is simply to move more. Move more often, move for leisure, move for exercise, move to break up the monotony of prolonged sitting. If you want some advice on how to move well I have the training and experience to help instruct you. You may require more strength, more mobility, more balance, or a combination of all three. Understanding your weaknesses is the first step to improvement.

Massage therapy can also play a role in improving movement. Massage can help increase range of motion by releasing tightness in muscle and soft tissue, or minimising the referred pain that tight muscles can cause to a joint. The increased movement around the joint will make it easier to train for strength and balance, this will lead to fewer compensations (such as limping).

Articulation (movement) of the joint will help to keep the fluid of the joint healthy and nourished.

​Regular stretching will also help you stay mobile and injury free. Stretching is more effective when designed specific for your needs. If you need help with this, I am more than happy to shed some light on this complicated and sometimes controversial topic.

InspireMovement is important for all ages, the longer you neglect it, the harder it is to get back. Age should not be a barrier for activity, getting out as part of a team may make it more fun. 28,676 people competed in the World Masters games in Sydney in 2009. The age categories go all the way up to 100 and over age group. If Man Kaur can do it at 101, so can you. That is of course if the threat of increased mortality hasn't already got you out of your chair!